South Wilts Grammar School
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South Wilts Grammar School is a converter academy in Salisbury for girls aged 11 to 18. It has 1,200 pupils, 178 more than it has places for. About 3 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 97 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2019.
Stratford Road, Salisbury, SP1 3JJ01722 323326swgs.wilts.sch.ukDr Amanda Smith headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 October 2019, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall. A later, shorter visit on 22 January 2025 said: “Improved significantly”.
This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 22 January 2025 | Ungraded | Improved significantly |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
156 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Wiltshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 156 | 160 | 157 | 156 | 132 | 121 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 77.0 | 75.0 | 73.2 | 77.5 | 76.3 | 74.5 | 47.0 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.79 | +0.61 | +0.58 | +0.70 | +0.48 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 99% | 98% | 97% | 99% | 99% | 98% | 45% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 99% | 99% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 7.05 | 6.78 | 6.56 | 7.03 | 7.15 | 6.88 | 4.11 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 56% | 57% | 52% | 58% | 73% | 64% | 31% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | – | 71.4 | 68.5 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | – | 75.2 | 73.4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 76.3 | 74.2 | 77.3 | 75.9 | 74.1 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 18 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 156 | 84% | 99% | 100% | 53% | 44 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 156 | 72% | 99% | 99% | 54% | 28 of 3,210 |
| Biology | 155 | 77% | 97% | 99% | 82% | 532 of 2,570 |
| English Literature | 154 | 68% | 97% | 100% | 58% | 50 of 3,202 |
| Chemistry | 154 | 71% | 96% | 99% | 81% | 778 of 2,537 |
| Religious Studies | 153 | 75% | 98% | 99% | 60% | 46 of 1,825 |
| Physics | 153 | 75% | 97% | 100% | 82% | 559 of 2,546 |
| History | 78 | 83% | 96% | 97% | 52% | 64 of 3,126 |
| Geography | 73 | 86% | 99% | 100% | 51% | 48 of 3,116 |
| French | 70 | 94% | 100% | 100% | 60% | 13 of 1,974 |
| German | 48 | 88% | 100% | 100% | 63% | 10 of 571 |
| Design & Technology | 40 | 98% | 100% | 100% | 50% | 3 of 1,478 |
| Drama | 36 | 78% | 97% | 100% | 60% | 30 of 844 |
| Computer Science | 29 | 72% | 97% | 97% | 56% | 62 of 1,861 |
| Physical Education | 26 | 73% | 100% | 100% | 56% | 16 of 1,559 |
| Art and Design | 22 | 82% | 91% | 96% | 58% | 179 of 2,818 |
| Music | 21 | 67% | 100% | 100% | 61% | 19 of 395 |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 19 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 52% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
A level and sixth-form results, 2025
169 students finished sixth-form courses.
All sixth-form measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 169 | 181 | 185 | 175 | 320 | 328 |
| Average A level points per entryA level APS per entry | 39.47 | 39.24 | 38.17 | 42.17 | 40.86 | 41.93 |
| Average A level grade | B | B | B- | B+ | B | B+ |
| Best three A levelsBest 3 A levels APS | 38.57 | 38.68 | 36.84 | 41.73 | 40.28 | 42.21 |
| AAB or better in subjects universities likeAAB+ in two facilitating subjects | 23% | 25% | 23% | 31% | 29% | 37% |
| A level progressA level value added | +0.11 | -0.03 | – | – | +0.02 | +0.08 |
| Stayed and finishedRetained and assessed | 95% | 95% | 95% | 99% | 95% | 95% |
A level subjects
21 A level subjects had results in 2025. Each figure is the share of students who got an A* to B, next to the average for state sixth forms in England. When only a handful of students take a subject, its figures jump around from year to year.
Strongest A levels
Every A level subject against England, 2025
A levels only. BTECs, T levels and other courses are in the table above. Subjects with fewer than five students aren't published.
Getting a place
Grammar school. This is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test.
The school is full, with 59 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
The last child to get a place lived 12.3 miles away in 2026. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils, faith and other priority groups are placed first. After that, the closer you live, the better your chances. Type in your postcode to see how far away you are.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. More children applied than there were places. The last place went to a child living 12.3 miles from the school. Living closer than that didn't guarantee a place, but living much further away meant missing out that year.
| Entry | Places | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Secondary | 160 | 160 | 12.3 miles | LA |
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (13), Severe learning difficulty (12), emotional and mental health (12), Autistic spectrum disorder (9), Other difficulty or disability (7), Physical disability (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 1,200 | 1,185 | 1,130 | 1,142 | 1,151 | 1,131 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 3% | 3% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 9% | 9% | 9% | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 5% | 5% | 5% | 3% | 3% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.8% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.2% | 5.5% | 5.6% | 7.0% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.8% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 6.8% | 4.0% | 4.4% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 6.6% | 16.8% | 14.7% | 19.0% | 5.5% | 9.8% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 157 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 99% | 100% | 97% | 98% |
| Education | 99% | 99% | 97% | 98% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
After sixth form
Where the 178 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Where the ones heading for university went
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 91% | 90% | 91% | – |
| Education | 57% | 57% | 65% | – |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 4% | 1% | 1% |
| Work | 34% | 29% | 25% | – |
| Not in education, work or training | 6% | 6% | 8% | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Rivers Online School | Online provider | 0.6 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Bishop Wordsworth's Church of England Grammar School | Academy (grammar) | 1.0 miles | 1,193 | Report card 2026 | 96 | Compare |
| Wyvern St Edmund's Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,337 | No overall grade 2025 | 37 | Compare |
| St Joseph's Catholic School | Roman Catholic | 1.3 miles | 565 | Requires improvement 2024 | 15 | Compare |
| Sarum Academy | Academy | 1.6 miles | 747 | Good 2023 | 12 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares South Wilts Grammar School with the 50 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 97 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 97% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 95 to 99. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | well above | +0.64 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 156 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 11% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.01 | Ofsted grade, 6.9 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | well above | +0.36 | DfE progress measure; 156 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.10 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well above | +0.19 | 2024/25; 800 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | 0.00 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 156 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well above | +0.09 | 157 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is South Wilts Grammar School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. South Wilts Grammar School scores 97 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 42% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 95 to 99, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is South Wilts Grammar School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated South Wilts Grammar School good at its last full inspection on 22 October 2019. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are South Wilts Grammar School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 99% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 77.0, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does South Wilts Grammar School have?
1,200 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,022 places, so it is 117% full. It is a girls' school.
Is South Wilts Grammar School oversubscribed, and how far away can you live?
Yes. For September 2026 the last place went to a child living 12.3 miles away. Children in care, brothers and sisters of current pupils and other priority groups come before distance, so the cut-off moves every year.
Does South Wilts Grammar School have an entrance exam?
Yes. It is a grammar school, so places depend on an entrance test, usually sat in September of Year 6. Check the school's admissions page for the test dates and the pass mark.
What is attendance like at South Wilts Grammar School?
Pupils were in school 95.8% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 7% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at South Wilts Grammar School?
The average class had 21.4 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 17% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does South Wilts Grammar School have a sixth form?
Yes. The average A level grade in 2025 was B. 21 A level subjects had results in 2025; the full list is in the results section.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Stratford Road, Salisbury, SP1 3JJ
- Telephone
- 01722 323326
- Website
- www.swgs.wilts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Dr Amanda Smith
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Girls
- Religious character
- None
- Single-academy trust
- South Wilts Grammar School (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Wiltshire
- Ward
- Salisbury St Francis & Stratford
- Constituency
- Salisbury
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 January 2011 (academy converter)
- URN
- 136391 · LAESTAB 8655412 · UKPRN 10032361
- Formerly
- South Wilts Grammar School for Girls
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- A level subjects: DfE A level and other 16 to 18 results, subject entries and grades, 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Wiltshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.